HHS has extended the deadline for hospitals and other healthcare providers to attest to receipt of payments from the emergency relief fund created under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
Healthcare providers now have 45 days from the date they receive a payment to attest and accept the terms and conditions or return the funds. Providers previously had 30 days to complete those tasks.
With the extension, HHS said not returning the payment within 45 days of receipt will be viewed as acceptance of the terms and conditions.
Since March, Congress has allocated $175 billion in relief aid for healthcare providers to cover expenses or lost revenues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first $50 billion in funding from the CARES Act was delivered to hospitals last month. HHS distributed $30 billion based on Medicare fee-for-service reimbursements and another $20 billion based on hospitals' share of net patient revenue.
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